We like to spread the MOWI Game of the Week out between teams where possible, but it was impossible not to include Lovat again this week. The kiltarlity team play host to Beauly with both teams losing by a goal to either half of Badenoch.

In order to preview this game we sat down with Beauly Co-Managers Gregor MacCormick & Niall MacLennan.

Gregor & Niall Beauly Shinty Club Managers

What does it feel like to be back playing competitive Shinty?

The players, everyone connected with the club and the wider community have been waiting long time for it and so great to be back playing again. It’s such a pity we are still not allowed spectators but hopefully that will change soon.

How have you found pre-season?

Pre-season hasn’t been easy as we have not had that consistency we would have liked due to the restrictions in place, but we have had a great response from the players and so everyone is looking forward to the season ahead.

What did you learn from the Newtonmore game last week?

Newtonmore are current Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup Champions and remain one of the best teams in Scotland. A lot of our players have limited experience at this level and so was good to see how our players, particularly the younger members of the squad, competed against them on the day.

What do you expect from Lovat going into the game – what are their strengths?

Lovat have shown consistently that they are without question one of the best teams in Scotland. They are strong in all areas of the park and you just need to look at how many international players are in their squad. They will be a massive test for ourselves, particularly in defence.

With no Lovat Cup this year, do you think these league derbies are going to be even more fierce?

Not necessarily – I think both teams will just be looking forward to renewing that rivalry again and enjoying a good, hard game of shinty. The absence of spectators will be a big miss for both teams in this game as it would normally attract a large local support.

Co-Managers are becoming more and more common in Shinty, just how does that dynamic work?

That question is really simple to answer – just take turn-about making the tea and biscuits! We think just help spread the load a bit and always good to bounce ideas of someone ahead of Saturday.

Finally, what are your expectations for Beauly this year?

We are simply looking to enjoy playing shinty again and to see how competitive we can be against the MOWI Premier teams in our league. We see this season as a good chance to provide a lot of our promising younger players with the chance to play against the top MOWI Premier teams ahead of us returning to the national league next season. We understand the pressures that come with work commitments, family, players traveling etc, and so to have a larger pool of players with such experience will hopefully help ensure we have a stronger overall squad at our disposal next season.